A conman who pretended to be a landlord and tricked several hopeful tenants into paying him thousands of pounds is being tracked down by police.
Four individuals each paid around £1,100 in rent and deposits to Arkadiusz Sylwester Nader for the same studio flat in Bedminster, Bristol.
However, when they came to move into the property, the so-called landlord had disappeared with their money. The flat on North Street is owned by someone else entirely.
Police are trying to locate the Polish national, who secured the flat through an intermediary, as he does not speak English.
Nader owes one month’s rent on the flat, which is empty apart from a few belongings.
All of the victims are originally from Eastern Europe and were targeted online by Nader, who told them they could move in on 3rd December.
However, none of them have heard from him since.
One victim, Damian Nartowski, is a forklift truck operator. He says that the money he paid was his “full monthly wage”.
He adds: “It [had] a big impact on me because I was struggling to get to the end of the month because I have no money or anything.”1
Joanna Kedziora, another victim, works as a cleaner in a bank and has lost all of her savings thanks to Nader.
Through a translator, she says: “He harmed a lot of people just before Christmas and he made himself a Christmas present out of some other people’s misery.”1
She had planned to move into the flat with her daughter.
Avon and Somerset Police is currently investigating allegations of fraud and urges anyone who thinks they may have been a victim to come forward.